This invention relates to cut-off saws, and more particularly to a swing saw for cutting logs to length prior to longitudinal cutting into boards or plywood veneer.
Swing saws of the foregoing type are in limited usage throughout the lumber industry. However, they are characterized by certain limitations and disadvantages, principal among which are the time-consuming procedure for tightening the drive chains periodically as they slacken, the hazard presented to the mechanism, and the power limitation of a belt drive.
In prior swing saws, tightening of the drive chain required adjustment of opposite ends of the driving shaft alternately to move the shaft away from the driven shaft, or arbor, while maintaining the shafts parallel to each other. This time-consuming procedure presents difficulty in producing a parallel alignment which results in premature chain failure or chain breakage.
Also in prior swing saws, breakage of the massive drive chain results in the chain falling by gravity to the proximity of the driven shaft, causing damage to the shaft, chain sprockets and machine case supporting the shaft.